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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Joni, Megan and Linda recently cozied up (well, as cozy as Skype allows!) to the warm and chatty Martyn Lawrence Bullard to discuss his career, how he got to be the decorator to the stars, his time on "Million Dollar Decorators" (Season 2 is rumored to be shooting now!) his new book "Live, Love & Decorate" and his various product endorsements. This is one busy - and talented - man!

I LOVE Martyn. He is such darling! I was trying to get to a book signing, but missed it, but I will be adding this book to my Christmas list. Correction, it is already on my list.Have a great Thanksgiving, ladies!Teresaxoxo

I listened twice to the podcast to make sure I heard what Martyn said. To anyone in the design trade or anyone who purchases furniture, this should be a straight up discussion not a controversial topic. Martyn said to come in at or below budget on his 68 room Colony Palms hotel project he proudly said he took an $800 table and had it knocked off in China for $100. Business integrity and ethics are the most important aspects of my business as a furniture designer and manufacturer. It is the very core and foundation of my business that I do not waiver from for profit. I put my soul into my designs. To knock off one of my designs strips my soul and my pocketbook. I don’t think Martyn will get that until all of his fabric designs are knocked off in China and he loses that profit and it crushes his soul. I derive great satisfaction knowing that I put food on the table for my wood carver’s children by proudly making my furniture in America not China. Employing all my craftsmen on American soil is my patriotism. As a foreigner, Martyn does not share that American value, but it is the Americans not the British who handed him on a sterling platter the opportunity to be successful in our country. To make the wholesale cost of an $800 table prototype costs me around $5,000. To go from sketch to CAD to full scale sample is expensive and you rely on multiple sales of that item to recapture that expense. By Martyn’s knocking off the table he stripped the maker of the multiple sales to recapture sample investment. The $5,000 does not include building rent, utilities, taxes and other business expenses. Pure and simple, doing knockoffs is theft. It appears that has no meaning now that he has multi-million dollar projects and considers himself a celebrity design star. An $800 side table is cheap on a $1.2 million budget. He saved $47,600 on 68 tables if there was just one not two in the room. On the other hand, that is a loss of $47,600 to the wholesaler and thus the designer. The alternative to doing a knockoff would have been to select another table under $800. Yes, I know knockoffs are common in the industry but to me they are not worth trading my ethics for.

I really loved this interview. He is so talented, my fave of the cast. I think the thing that made him so appealing was the relationships he has with his clients. He "gets" them and can understand what they want. So glad he's having such success.

Thanks for interviewing MLB!! Soo fun! I have been an avid listener of SRT since your first podcast and this is my very favorite episode. WHAT a charmer he is! I wish that I could apprentice in his design business just to see him model his positive energy in such a demanding field. I am very inspired by listening and cannot wait for the next season of MDD--I just wish that it was being done by a different network than BRAVO so we could see the delicious design details that were left on the cutting room floor!

Hello Girls!First off thank you for posting Summer's observation as you could have decided that it was too much debate. I did get to a book signing with MBL and directly mentioned SRT in my moment with Him. See my blog post to hear the story! Love listening to these interviews time and time again. Cheers!

I just had a chance to listen, and it makes me like Martyn all the more. He seems to be the most cosmopolitan and exotic of the group from Bravo (even though they are ALL worthy), so maybe that had a little to do with his endorsement deals? His commercials could broadcast all over the world. Great interview ladies! And yes...definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

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Newport Day
2014, 57 x 78 in. acrylic on linen
Happy Labor Day and here's some incredible art to just think about, freak
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2 years ago

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